James Franklin, Matthews' head coach for most of his career at Vanderbilt, served as the Packers' wide receivers coach during Thompson's first year as general manager. Thompson highly values Franklin's opinion when it comes to receivers. It was largely due to their relationship that the Packers selected Kevin Dorsey, another Franklin disciple from his time at Maryland.
The track record dates even further back, however. In his final season as Kansas State's offensive coordinator, Franklin tipped off his old employer to one of his receivers who blew up his senior year but had yet to generate much draft buzz. The Packers selected that player, Jordy Nelson, with their top pick in 2008.